Fate's Feast
by Belinda Keller
Summary: Dark Visions fic. Two completely different girls find they have physic powers and decide to join forces and have some fun. Can Kait and her friends stop them before their gifts get out of hand?
1. Part 1

Title: Fate's Feast  
Author: Lisa Harrison  
Email: dancinginthedark2002@yahoo.co.uk  
Spoilers: Dark Visions, all books  
Disclaimer: The characters and storylines from the Dark Visions trilogy belong to LJS. New characters and unrecognised plotlines are mine.   
Rating: PG  
Summary: Two completely different girls find they have physic powers and decide to join forces and have some fun. Can Kait and her friends stop them before their gifts get out of hand?  
Notes: feedback appreciated.  
  
Part 1:  
  
The glass flew across the room, shattering against the classroom window with a startlingly loud crash. Crystal sharps rained down on Lucy Marders, the unfortunate girl who sat next to the window. Voices erupted throughout the classroom, people were leaping out of their seats. Lucy was shrieking at a tiny cut on her upper arm.  
  
Chyna's eyes rolled. She was probably the only person who couldn't give a damn something had happened to Lucy. She turned back to her text book, trying to concentrate on European history, with the racket in the room, it was kind of hard.  
  
Lucy was whining about the blood stain on her cashmere sweater. Her best friend Alyson Parks was leading her to the school nurse. Class was soon dismissed. Chyna sighed, gathering her books slowly.   
  
"Did you *see* that glass? I totally think this school must be *haunted*. It *so* moved completely on it's own!"  
  
Chyna gritted her teeth. She really wasn't in the mood for people right now. She would must prefer to be alone, but it looked like Chelsea Fletcher had latched herself onto Chyna for the remainder of that period.  
  
"I was concentrating on the lesson. Even European History is more interesting than Lucy," Chyna said icily.   
  
"The glass just *moved*. It was kind of cool really." Chelsea was one of those irritating girls who never ran out of energy. She was small boned with sun blonde hair usually tied back in a ponytail. She was dressed in a pink top with a pattern of white daises and blue denim shorts. She tended to move from group to group, fitting in anywhere she wanted.   
  
Chyna didn't even know why Chelsea talked to her. Chyna was your average nobody. She was tall with long black hair and blue-violet eyes. She didn't like to draw attention to herself. "I have no interest in flying glasses or Lucy. The only thing that would be *cool* would be if the glass had exploded in Lucy's face," she answered. "Leave me alone." She headed out of the room. There was another half an hour until her last class of the day. She certainly didn't want to spent it with Chelsea.  
  
"What *is* it with you?" Chelsea snorted, shaking her head, hands on her hips. "Girl, you need to get the bug out your butt, big time." She walked off, finding a group of cheerleaders near by, who were much happier to receive her.   
  
"Sometimes I swear that girl must have shares in pep pill companies."  
  
Chyna even managed to smirk as she left the room herself. Her mood had improved slightly as Bryan Fraser joined her. He was a nice, ordinary guy, in *her* opinion, also drop dead gorgeous. He was about 5'8, eyes the colour of a starry night. He seemed to be against shaving, leaving him with what would probably be a full beard by the time he was 20. He hasn't too fussed about hair either, his chocolate brown locks were wavy and careless. His casual, laid back attitude got him noticed enough to have a place with the popular crowd, though he was always nice to Chyna, ever since they had worked on a chemistry project together.   
  
"I guess the face would be wishful thinking."  
  
Chyna nodded. "Still, I'd love to meet whoever threw that glass and congratulate them."  
  
Bryan chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you'd have to get on the waiting list."  
  
"*Bryan*, where did you go? I'm in need of your services. Lucy's been hurt and her car's at the garage and Kira has mine. Why do you even bother to *talk* to these freaks?"  
  
Chyna's eyes rolled as Bryan's girlfriend Jacine waltzed up to join them, slipping her arms around his waist. Jacine was one of those snotty, rich, model gorgeous popular girls. Chyna couldn't understand why decent guys like Bryan dated bitches like Jacine. Bryan smiled at Chyna apologetically as Jacine dragged him off down the hall.  
  
Chyna's mood hit rock bottom again. She scowled, clenching her fists in anger as she stalked off to the library. As she went, the rows of lockers on either side of her burst open.  
  
* * * 


	2. Part 2

Part 2  
  
Fires and shattering glass. The images that she had  
  
been drawing made no sense at all to Kaitlyn  
  
Fairchild. She tried to pay attention to the lecture  
  
she was supposed to be listening to on Renaissance art  
  
in Greece.  
  
She had one year of college to get her Fine Arts  
  
degree. She hadn't had the urge for one of *those*  
  
drawings since she'd left the Fellowship.  
  
Her gift had been strangely absent during the last few  
  
years which made the sudden show if these new ones  
  
cropping up somewhat scary. They just came up just out  
  
of the blue. She'd either been studying in the library  
  
of stuck in a lecture when she'd felt a familiar  
  
*need* in her hand. The next thing she new she had  
  
been in her room surrounded by sheets of paper filled  
  
with strange images, mainly of fire and shards of  
  
glass. Two things that made no sense.  
  
Her concentration on the lecture was faltering. When  
  
the professor took a quick break to sort out his  
  
notes, she slipped out.  
  
"So what'd you think they mean?" she asked later that  
  
night, drumming her fingers endlessly on the table in  
  
the all night diner she had met Gabriel in. He had  
  
been examining the drawings, but just shrugged,  
  
yawning and stretching in his cat-like manor.  
  
"Got me. No idea. You've got a pyromaniac and Carrie's  
  
come back from the grave to get you?" He smirked.  
  
Kaitlyn's eyes rolled. "Not funny." She hadn't heard  
  
of any unexplained fires in the area, nor did she  
  
think that ghosts from an ancient horror film were  
  
going to come and get her. "If I've been drawing them  
  
they've got to mean *something*," she insisted.  
  
Gabriel leaned back in his chair, pushing the pictures  
  
back to her. The diner was practically empty apart  
  
from them, an old lady at the back and two waitresses  
  
behind the counter, both of whom were constantly  
  
trying to catch Gabriel's eyes. It was only 10:30, so  
  
it wasn't exactly late. "You know you could have  
  
picked a place to meet that had more action than a  
  
fucking cemetery," he snorted.  
  
"It's quiet and private and that's what I need," she  
  
snapped, taking the drawings back and putting them  
  
back in a folder she had brought. "What'd you think  
  
they *mean*?" she repeated.  
  
Gabriel sighed and shrugged. "I told you I don't have  
  
a clue. Have you shown them to anyone else?"  
  
Kait shook her head. She'd been trying to figure out  
  
what they meant before she bothered the rest of the  
  
group. Maybe it wasn't even important enough for her  
  
to interrupt their lives for.  
  
Though she seriously doubted that. Drawing unexplained  
  
fires she was *sure* wasn't a good thing.  
  
"I didn't know you came here."  
  
Kait's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of her  
  
friend Maria, from one of her classes. Maria was  
  
eyeing Gabriel with something like - distaste? It  
  
wasn't the normal reaction he got from girls with his  
  
dark good looks. Gabriel's eyebrow rose at her, Kait  
  
shrugged and smiled at her friend. "We wanted  
  
somewhere quiet."  
  
"Uh-huh." Maria pulled up a chair. As she sat down  
  
Kait noticed several nasty cuts on her upper arm,  
  
barely covered by the short sleeves of her pink top.  
  
"What happened to you?"  
  
Maria glanced at her arm. "Oh, nothing. I went home at  
  
the weekend and my pain in the ass sister was there  
  
with her I'm-a-teenager-and-I-hate-the-world attitude.  
  
I commented on her top, the next thing I know she's  
  
slamming doors and there's a vase flying across the  
  
room and hitting me." Maria sighed pitifully.  
  
Kait listened with mild interesting, the broken glass  
  
images running through her mind.  
  
"Looks like you've got Carrie to deal with after all,"  
  
Gabriel muttered, standing up and kissing her cheek  
  
briefly. "Call me." And he left.  
  
Maria watched him go. "What's *his* problem?"  
  
Kaitlyn was starting to wonder what Maria's issues  
  
with Gabriel were. She didn't need to act so cold  
  
towards him. Unless there was something going on that  
  
she didn't recognise. She pushed the unpleasant  
  
thought away. "Don't ask," she said with a sigh. "Has  
  
that ever happened before?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Objects moving unexpectedly or without anyone  
  
touching them at your house?"  
  
Maria stared at the table top. "Once or twice. We  
  
figured Chyna was just faking it for attention."  
  
"You're sister's telekinetic?"  
  
"I certainly hope she's not that powerful."  
  
Kaitlyn picked up the drawings. Part of her was  
  
thinking the answers she had been looking for had come  
  
far too easily. An untrained telekinetic on the loose.  
  
~That's going to be fun~ she thought.  
  
"I have to make a few phone calls, I'll see you in  
  
class." She smiled briefly and hurried back to her  
  
dorm. Time to get the group together again.  
  
* * * 


	3. Part 3

Part 3  
  
"And then he said I had the *best* dress, and the colour really brought out my eyes. He knows Ezelda herself and said he can get her to design me a special dress just for me to wear to the prom."  
  
Alexandra wasn't really listening to Sophie's story about her date on Saturday. She'd lost interest more or less after Sophie had opened her mouth. Sophie had been yapping about her date with Ray Maxton-Winston III all week, and the new silver dress from a hot new designer all week. She was like a kid at Christmas.   
  
Normally it was the type of thing Alexandra loved to hear about, gossiping about the town's new hot designer, and a date with a sexy heir to a family fortune. What would be more dreamy and romantic? Lately, though, she had just lost interest. She and Sophie were sitting outside in bright warm sunshine at a new coffee shop that had opened that morning in their exclusive town. One of those designer communities, perfect places for perfect people. Nothing but the best. Alexandra twirled the straw round in her vanilla Frappacino, her red nails glinting in the sunlight.  
  
"What's it like in the planet you're on?"  
  
"Huh?" Alexandra blinked, pushing her shades up on her nose. "Oh. Shut up."  
  
Sophie's delicate eyebrows rose, her hazel eyes boring into Alexandra as if she were trying to see into her mind. Then she shook her head, tossing her curly blonde hair over her shoulder. "You've been weirding out on us all week. You know, Ray said his cousin Andrew is coming into town next week. He's getting almost as big an inheritance. I can see about getting you guys set up."  
  
Alexandra shrugged. "Don't bother." A date wasn't going to cheer her up. Maybe she was just sick to death of her routine perfect life. She'd seen the same faces every day almost all her life. Her own friends were getting so predictable. Later that afternoon she and Sophie would go to the mall. They'd find Marissa in DKNY or Gucci, Marissa's weird cousin Jenna would stand around sulking, until they'd finished buying everything they looked the like of, then Jenna would drag them round Hot Topic and Sam Goodies. Then they'd hit the shoe shops, then the perfume and makeup counters at Sephora, finishing the day with a snack in the food court. It was what they did practically every time they went to the mall.   
  
But Alexandra didn't feel like shopping that afternoon. She didn't know what she felt like. "I'm going for a walk."  
  
"Walk? Are you nuts?" Sophie squeaked.   
  
Alexandra waved dismissively, smoothing down the skirt of her short black dress. She walked away from the coffee shop, in no particular direction. She wandered along knowing Sophie of course, would go blabbing about her weird behaviour, and they would either come up with some absurd scheme to fix her, or snub her for being strange.   
  
Alexandra was almost hoping they'd snub her, at least then she might get some peace. Looking around she found herself surprised to find she had walked into an area of the town she had never known was there before. The streets were shaded by large trees, the houses in long rows, small and compact. How could she get lost in a planned community where she'd been all her life?  
  
She turned corner after corner finding the houses and thinned out and a wood was surrounding her. ~Woods~ she thought, shaking her head in confusion. ~This is getting nuts.~  
  
A hand fell on her shoulder. She screamed and whirled around. To her horror, two trees near by burst into flames.  
  
"Nice trick," said an unfamiliar male voice, with an unmistakable tone of amusement to it.   
  
Alexandra frowned at the boy. He was tall and thin, kind of lanky. A mop of unbrushed brown hair was close cut around his ears, short in back, long over his forehead. He was dressed in unremarkable jeans and a white t-shirt.  
  
"Trick?" Alexandra echoed. She stared at the flaming trees in disbelief. "There is no way in hell that *I* did that."  
  
"Well, I know I didn't," The boy said. He looked at her for a few seconds. "You're from Golden Leaf." The amusement in his voice had changed into distaste.  
  
Alexandra was still frowning. "I still *am* in Golden Leaf," she pointed out. The boy shook his head. "This used to be Springdale. Then those idiots knocked most of it down to become that snotty Golden Leaf place."   
  
Alexandra just looked at him. "Oh."  
  
Her eyes moved constantly to the flaming trees. She didn't know how she had managed to, or even if she believed that she was the one who had set them off. "Shouldn't we do something about them?"  
  
"Stop them. You stared it."  
  
Alexandra's eyes filled with frustrated tears. Her make up was just going to be ruined. "I didn't do it. I don't know *how* to stop it! I couldn't even if I wanted to." As if powered by her words, the fire stopped. The trees remained blackened and scorched, but the flames were gone.   
  
"Quite a talent," the boy commented. "Come on. Golden Leaf's back this way. We don't need a search party tearing the place apart."  
  
Alexandra paused as the boy started walking off. Could she trust him to lead her back? She hadn't exactly worked out how she felt about him yet. He glanced back at her. "If you're going to stand there like an idiot, be my guest." He continued walking.  
  
Annoyed, Alexandra hurried after him. Her new mules were going to need replacing after this trip. She followed him in silence as the woods became streets again.  
  
"Keep going and take the next right. Then you'll find yourself in Golden Leaf."  
  
Alexandra looked where he was pointing. "Thanks, I guess."  
  
He rewarded her with a surprisingly attractive smile. "Any time."  
  
"Who are you, anyway?"  
  
But he'd gone. Alexandra shook her head, hurrying back to safe and familiar territory. Though she couldn't help a small smile as she made her way home. An odd power she couldn't explain, and a strange but cute guy. Her day had turned out better than she had been expecting.   
  
* * * 


	4. Part 4

Part 4  
  
It seemed like a complete waste of time but Gabriel knew better than to point that out. The others would just go ahead and do their hero thing anyway. He wasn't too thrilled with the whole group getting together again. Hell, he had never been too thrilled with the group in the first place.   
  
It wasn't like he had any psychic powers at all left. That crystal had dome something - 'cured' him - were the words Kait kept using. Unfortunately, they were still all connected by that annoying mind link web as well, and they'd just bug him through that until he agreed to help them, if anything just to shut them up.  
  
He sat on a wall outside the University library waiting for Kait to show up. Several girls were giving him appreciative glances as they passed by. He ignored them, not in the mood for it.   
  
His mind kept drifting back to Kait's new premonition drawings. The fires and the broken glass. The broken glass according to Kait was the result of her friend Maria's sister Chyna, an uncontrolled telekinetic. The fire they were all clueless about.  
  
Or maybe now. Gabriel remembered briefly a cousin of his, Lexi. Lexi could do cool things with fire. She could light matches without touching them, make the flames dance away from the wicks, walk across her hands without even burning her.   
  
He hadn't seen Lexi in years, didn't know if she even still remembered him. Might as well get off his ass and do something with himself. He walked over to Kait's dorm and left a message with her roommate Donna.  
  
* * *  
  
"Had something to find. Be back when I can?" Kait read the note Gabriel had left, shaking her head. Just typical of him, she thought moodily.   
  
"If anything he seemed rather - smug," Donna offered as Kait scrunched up the paper and threw it in the waste bin.   
  
"*Smug*?" Kait asked.  
  
Donna pushed a strand of her dyed pink hair out her eyes, "Yeah, like he was - " she trailed off and shrugged.  
  
"Going to do something he knew I'd disapprove of if he told me," Kait finished with a scowl. Gabriel *knew* they were supposed to be meeting the others tomorrow morning. He *knew*. He didn't think these new psychics were much to worry about, he thought it was all pointless. So why had he suddenly taken off like that?  
  
//Gabriel what the hell are you up to?// she yelled at him through the mind link.   
  
//Finding the second psychic//he answered her.  
  
Kait had expected to come up against his walls. He was letting her in. That was - Kait wasn't sure what to make of this.   
  
//The second psychic? You know something? I thought you said this was all a waste of time//  
  
//It is,// he answered, //but this one's mine.//  
  
Before Kait could ask what he meant she got an image of obsidian slates. He'd slammed the mental walls in her face.   
  
What the hell was he up to? Kait thought.  
  
* * *  
  
Author's note: is anyone actually reading this? 


	5. Part 5

Part 5  
  
Chyna closed her bedroom door, breathing a huge sigh of relief. She was finally alone. She scowled in anger, wanting to break something. Her perfect sister had to choose this weekend to come home from university. Maria was one of those annoying girls like Lucy. The type of brainless bimbo who everyone liked, and Chyna would have gladly killed if given the opportunity.  
  
She collapsed on her bed, sighing. How she wanted to get *away* from this place, this boring dull life of hers. She reached for her remote control, turning on her CD player, letting the loud screams of Iron Maiden loose, just to annoy her parents who were in the living room directly underneath her bedroom.  
  
It just wasn't fair. Why did undeserving bitches like Lucy and Maria have so much when ordinary, decent people like her were shoved to the side without even getting a chance?  
  
Chyna scowled. She got off her bed, looking around her room, decorated in shades of purple with white furniture. Her hand rifted over her bookshelf, another shelf with CDs and videos. She sat in her desk chair. She never got to share her interests with anyone. She liked sci-fi novels, she liked to hike, enjoyed hockey and baseball, occasionally she even liked to write.  
  
Sometimes Chyna found it easier to project her problems onto a fictional character and dress them up dramatically rather than deal with herself.  
  
She looked around for her notepad. She'd tossed it aside last night in a fit of rage. If people would *talk* to her then maybe she wouldn't be so angry all the time.   
  
"Come on, where are you?" she muttered, tossing aside a collection of Star Trek comic books. "Stupid piece of crap."  
  
She stood up, hands on hips, looking around. She blinked several times, not sure she was seeing correctly. Her notebook was floating towards her. It had lifted itself up from God knew where and was *floating* in her direction.   
  
Chyna took it, staring at the object in amazement.  
  
She remembered the glass shattering when she had been angry at Lucy. Only ten minutes later lockers had burst open when she had been angry Bryan liked Jacine better than her. Then Maria had laughed at her outfit on Saturday and complained because a vase had thrown itself across the room and attacked her.  
  
Now she had wanted her notebook, and it had just come to her.  
  
Chyna could feel a grin starting to spread across her face. ~Oh this is just too good~ she thought.  
  
She glanced around her room again. She was bored with Iron Maiden. She turned off the CD player without touching it. Thinking hard she thought about putting the CD back in its box. Watching in fascination the CD box floated off the shelf, the CD took itself out the machine and put itself in the box. The CD draw went back into the machine. The box closed and went back in its place on the shelf.  
  
All without Chyna even lifting a finger.  
  
Chyna was grinning from ear to ear. It was all she could do to keep from applauding herself like those idiots on bad TV game shoes do when they get their question right or win some money.   
  
~Telekinetic~ she thought gleefully. ~I can really do things with my mind~  
  
Now she knew she had this amazing gift, what did she do with it?  
  
* * * 


	6. Part 6

Part 6  
  
Alexandra hurried home, trying to push image of what happened out of her mind. She had wanted a change, something out of the ordinary to happen, but that...*that* was just too much. Unexplained fires? And her being the cause of them?  
  
~No~ she thought, pushing open the door to her family mansion.  
  
"What happened to you? You look like hell warmed over." Her step-mother was standing in the foyer, fluffing her golden hair in front of an ivory flamed mirror.  
  
"Oh." Alexandra caught a glimpse of her reflection. Her raven hair was dishevelled, she was limping having walked much further in heels than she'd have thought and rubbed blisters on her feet. Her cheeks were streaked with dried tears, her mascara smudged.  
  
Any other mother, even step-mother might have seen the state of her and come running over to ask if she was okay. But no, her step-mother Liza had to come up with "You look like hell warmed over."  
  
The butler, Nigel, was walking across the marble floor with two of Liza's expensive suitcases. "I'm off to the Hampton's for a few weeks. Your father will be meeting me there. Don't blow up the house." After putting on a very red lipstick Liza practically sauntered out.  
  
"Good riddance," Alexandra muttered, taking off her high heels.  
  
She sighed miserably, heading up to her private bathroom, and turning on the water in the deep sinking coral coloured tub. About half an hour later she was feeling much better, having soaked in hot water and essential oils. Wrapped in a pink silk bathrobe she was sticking her head in the fridge in the kitchen when she heard a shattering sound from near by. Angry, muffled voices followed with harsh sounding words.  
  
Alexandra froze. She knew she should be the only one in the house, her older brother Darren was away at University, her parents were off at the Hampton's. Who would be stupid enough to risk breaking into their high security mansion?  
  
Nigel always set the alarm before leaving. The cook had gone home early when Liza had left, so had the maid. No one else knew the security code except Nigel.  
  
Breath caught in her throat, she crept back to the stairs, thinking get to her room, get to her room and call the police. Tears were beginning to creep down her cheeks as her heart raced.  
  
Backing up the stairs, she didn't see anyone coming down until strong hands fell on her shoulders. She screamed, waving her hands frantically as she tried to struggle away, The next thing she knew, the curtains over the kitchen sink were on fire.  
  
Alexandra ran, not sure where she was going. Smoke from the growing flames was thick. Something in the kitchen exploded. Heat seared out with a bellow of flames, an acrid scent cloying at her nostrils, stinging her eyes.  
  
There were more shouts and swearing. She ran into several people in black clothing, ski masks covering their faces. Hands tried to grab at her. Alexandra lashed out with her hands, this time even she saw the flames bursting forth.  
  
* * *  
  
Half an hour later the police and fire department were everywhere. News reporters had gathered outside the smoking house as well. Alexandra sat with a blanket around her shoulders, watching the whole movie-like scene through glassy eyes.  
  
She answered questions when asked, feeling strange and empty. She didn't feel any emotion when she was told Nigel the butler's body had been found, shot dead.  
  
Someone had set this up, Alexandra was pretty sure of that. Someone who knew she'd be alone in the house. Of course she hadn't voiced that out loud to anyone yet. It wasn't like she had proof of any sort.  
  
Her parents actually weren't at the Hampton's when the police had tried locating them.  
  
"You're really having a time of it today."  
  
Alexandra turned at the unexpected voice, more than a little surprised to see the same boy who'd helped her out that afternoon. "Who are you?"  
  
"Joel," he answered. "My name is Joel. Let's just say I've had similar - experiences."  
  
Alexandra sniffed. "What, black-clad figures breaking into your house?"  
  
Joel smiled. "The other thing." He nodded at one of the fire engines.  
  
She stared at him, curious. "What do you do?"  
  
He didn't answer. A female officer was approaching them. "Considering the state of the house it's unsafe for you to return at the moment, Miss Rhodes-Prince" the cop said, eyeing Joel doubtfully. "And since we're having difficulty locating your parents, is there somewhere you can stay for the time being?"  
  
"Yeah, she's staying with me," Joel answered before Alexandra could say anything.  
  
The female cop stared at him blankly for a minute or so, then nodded. "Okay...we...we packed some clothes for you." She handed Alexandra a small suitcase.  
  
Alexandra stared at Joel, somewhere between surprise, confusion and disbelief. Joel was smiling sheepishly. She followed him away from the crowd to a non-descript Ford across the street.  
  
"So you control *minds*?"  
  
"Sort of." He stared ahead. "How'd you feel like meeting other psychics?"   
  
"Psychics?"  
  
"People with paranormal abilities. We live in a place called the Zetes Institute, we learn how to handle what we do."  
  
Alexandra stared at him. "And you're going to introduce me to the X-Men too?"  
  
Joel laughed. "I wish, but we're not *that* powerful."  
  
"Is that why you came back? To talk me into going to this Institute place?"  
  
"Kind of. Our boss lady Joyce was very eager to meet you after I called to inform her of your talents." He hadn't started the car yet.  
  
Alexandra glanced out the window at the media circus outside her house, at the smoking ruins. Could she really control *fire*? It seemed so...unreal. What had happened that night was very real. She couldn't deny that.  
  
"Okay," she said. "Let's go see this Zetes Institute thing."  
  
* * * 


	7. Part 7

Part 7  
  
Kaitlyn had lost track of the amount of times she had changed her outfit. Donna was eyeing her dubiously from her seat at her desk, distracted from the paper she was trying to write. "Anyone would think you were off to a Hollywood premier," she snorted.  
  
"Not quite. Some old friends of mine are coming over. I haven't seen them in ages." Kait ran a brush through her hair.   
  
More than anything, she was trying to keep herself busy and distracted. She had done all her homework the previous night. There had been no word from Gabriel from the last three days, and his walls were blocking his mind. Whatever he was up to this time, he was deliberately keeping her from finding out.  
  
"These must be some friends," Donna said.  
  
Kait smiled. "The best anyone could ask for." She checked the clock. She was supposed to be at the ten minutes.  
  
She gathered the folder she had put her drawings in, picked up her purse and squared her shoulders, taking a deep breath. She talked to everyone all the time on the phone, but it had been over a year since she had actually seen any of them, apart from Gabriel.  
  
"See you later." She left her dorm room, walking confidently across the campus to the diner.  
  
Through the window she could see Rob and Anna already in one of the booths, close together. Kait felt a flush of guilt as she sighed, almost forgetting how striking Rob was with his golden food likes. With her Native American beauty, Anna was as gorgeous as ever. Together they made a stunning couple. They both looked up seeing her and waved.  
  
"No Lewis yet?" Kait asked after hellos and greetings had been exchanged.   
  
"Lewis is running a little late," Anna said with a smile. "He'll be here as soon as he can."  
  
"Perpetual lateness seems to be Lewis's thing at the moment," Rob added with a grin.  
  
Kaitlyn watched, trying to keep a neutral expression as she watched his arm slipping around Anna's shoulders as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Anna sighed, and snuggled against him. Kait's eyebrow rose. "Am I missing something here?"  
  
"Well, we were going to wait until everyone was here, but," Anna looked over at Rob, who nodded. Anna splayed her left hand out like a starfish on the table. On the fourth finger was a plain gold band, and another ing with a tiny diamond displayed in the centre. "We eloped on our way here."  
  
Kait didn't know what to say. Rob had been her first true love, her first experience of that wave riding emotion, something she would never forget. Granted, she had chosen Gabriel over him and despite his attitude issues, didn't regret that choice. She had never really thought of Rob and Anna. Maybe it was a little shallow, but she hadn't thought of him...well...anyone else.  
  
"Wow. That's...great. When was this planned?"  
  
"We didn't say anything because we didn't know if it would turn into anything, and there was really something great between us, so..." Anna smiled, almost dreamily, snuggling against Rob.  
  
Kait didn't say anything. They were her friends. She should be happy for them.   
  
"So what was it you wanted to tell us?" Rob said as the stretching silence started to get uncomfortable.   
  
"I'm here, I'm here!" Lewis came running through the diner door, back pack hanging around his neck. His face was red, as if he had just run a marathon. "Stupid train was late."  
  
"It's great to see you Lewis," Kait said, with a real smile. That smile she really did mean.   
  
Lewis took a few deep breaths. "Okay, so what's the new disaster?"  
  
Kait showed them her drawings and told them what Maria had said about her sister Chyna.  
  
"And what about Gabriel?" Anna asked.  
  
Kait ignored Rob's frown. "He said he had something to do. He'd be back when he could. He's blocked me out so I can't get to him through the web."  
  
"Why doesn't that surprise me?" Lewis muttered. "So we've got one new psychic to worry about...What about the fire thing?"  
  
"That's why I called you guys in," Kait said.  
  
There was an awkward silence. Kait felt a disturbingly familiar ebbing in her hand. "Oh, no."  
  
"What?" Rob asked.  
  
"I need to draw. Now."  
  
"Thought this might happen." Rob reached into Anna's purse and pulled out a notebook and a box of pastel crayons. Kait was in no mood to ask why he had them. It was the type of thing she usually had on her, but she had been so distracted...^Not the time, Kait,^ she told herself.  
  
She reached into the set of crayons and pulled out the purple and began sketching. When she was finished, they all crowded round to look at the drawing, including Kaitlyn.  
  
"That can't be right," Lewis said, perplexed.   
  
Anna frowned. "Still in business? I thought Joyce told us it was going to be demolished."  
  
Kait had drawn the Zetes Institute. She just shrugged helplessly, tears burning in her eyes. "I don't understand."  
  
"We'll figure this out," Lewis said, patting her arm sympathetically. "We're the good guys."  
  
Kait smiled weakly, but could only think of one thing. //Gabriel?// she called vainly though the mind link. //Gabriel, please, I need you.// He hadn't run off to abandon her, not wanting to deal with the rest of the group again? He had never been that thrilled with the idea. What the hell was he doing? He'd answer, wouldn't he?  
  
* * * 


	8. Part 8

Part 8  
  
The following morning Chyna woke up actually smiling. She never went to school with a smile. ~Then again, it's not every day you can go to school knowing you can move things with my mind,~ she thought, a bounce in her step.  
  
"What happened to you? You get a lobotomy or something?"  
  
Chyna just smirked at Bryan's comment. "Ha, ha."  
  
"Seriously. You have any idea how pretty you are when you actually smile?"  
  
Chyna was at a loss for words. She was sure she must be flushing, but before she could save herself from further embarrassment Jacine came around a corner. Chyna's teeth gritted with annoyance. The popular girl had stopped by a water fountain, shoving another girl out the way, making fun of her drab, oversize grey sweater and faded old jeans.  
  
"What do you *see* in girls like Jacine?" she demanded, shaking her head at Bryan.  
  
Bryan was frowning. "I'm starting to wonder that herself."  
  
The pipe in the water fountain burst. Chyna found her smile returning as a stream of high powered water burst out drenching the snotty girls, who ran around shrieking like mad, making complete fools of themselves, almost like a comic sketch.  
  
"Talk about good timing," Bryan said, chuckling.  
  
"Yeah," Chyna agreed. "Timing."  
  
She smirked again. The rest of that day she cheered herself up with pretty much the same routine, but by last fourth period she was bored with it. It was all very well to use her new powers to mess with the snobby girls, but there had to be more she could do making pipes burst, breaking jewellery, throwing glasses at them and such, but as amusing as it was Chyna couldn't help feeling there was something more. She had to do something - else - something -   
  
She was tired of being anonymous. She wanted to be remembered. But what could she do? As fun as burning down the school would have been, that had already been done, even if it was in an ancient Stephen King film and its crappy sequel.   
  
"So are you actually planning on investing in that talent of yours or just doing tacky things to the popular bitches?"  
  
Chyna had ducked into a bathroom before her math class. She didn't recognise the girl reflected in the mirror behind her. She was tall, with a skin so pale it was almost seemed to have a translucent shine. Her eyes were a startling scat like green. Her full lips were painted with black lipstick. She was dressed in a black top with red spaghetti straps and a black velvet skirt.  
  
"Who the hell are you?" Chyna had never noticed the girl around school before. Hanging around in the shadows you got to notice people, see things, learn and hear things others missed, and nobody noticed you were there.  
  
"Ayesha Chrome. I can tell you right now you're going to be interested in finding out about the Zetes Institute."  
  
"What's that? And how do you know about my - talent?" Chyna demanded.  
  
"Kind of what *I* do," Ayesha said with a smirk. "I'll find you after school." She turned and walked away.  
  
Instead of wasting time with a math class, Chyna went to the library, finding herself a computer with an Internet connection and began digging on the Zetes Institute.  
  
* * * 


End file.
